Immediately afterForbes broke the news in June about the McQueen Rolex going up for sale, there was tremendous skepticism in the watch world about the provenance of the Submariner, which was a gift from the late actor to Loren Janes, his favorite stuntman. The circa-1964 Submariner ref. 5513, which is engraved on caseback—LOREN, THE BEST DAMN STUNTMAN IN THE WORLD. STEVE—is the only known watch to bear McQueen's name.

It also came with an extraordinary backstory—the Rolex was presumed lost in the historic California wildfire of June 2016 (known as the Sand Fire) that destroyed the Janes family home and Janes' movie memorabilia. Janes' daughter, Erika, with help from her brother, Eric, salvaged the charred watch from the ashes of the fire and had it professionally restored by Rolex, which preserved the engraving. (Her father, who was suffering from Alzheimer's disease at the time, passed away in 2017.)

Burnt Offering: The McQueen Rolex after the being pulled from the rubble of the Janes' home in 2016.Courtes of Erika Janes

Numerous watch sites, including Hodinkee and Quill & Pad, questioned the authenticity of the Rolex, particularly whether McQueen ever actually wore it and why it had a period-correct ref. 5512 dial despite being a 5513 Submariner. (The answer to the dial question: Rolex replaced the original dial when it refurbished the watch in 2016. Paul Boutros, Phillips' head of Americas and an international strategy advisor for the watch division, notes that "the dial was a condition issue, not an authenticity issue.") And even stuntmen got into the mix, questioning how much Janes really doubled for McQueen and whether he was truly the actor's favorite.

From the Ashes: The engraving on the caseback of the Rolex after the fire.Courtesy of Erika Janes

The far greater problem for Phillips was that attorneys for McQueen's estate—on behalf of the actor's son, Chad McQueen—disputed the provenance of the Submariner, which had been purchased from the Janes family by memorabilia collector Mike Eisenberg, who was now offering it for sale.

"We have no reason to believe that Steve McQueen ever purchased that Rolex watch," says McQueen estate attorney Arthur Barens, adding, without offering any proof, "it may be a copy."

"We've made it clear from day one that Steve McQueen would not have written that inscription nor would he have the watch inscribed with that sentiment," says Arthur Barens, attorney for the estate. When pressed about whether he was disputing more than the authenticity of the inscription, Barens was adamant: "We have no reason to believe that Steve McQueen ever purchased that Rolex watch," adding, without offering any proof, "It may be a copy—as we all know, there is a whole history of counterfeit Rolex watches." (Paul Boutros confirmed that the document from Rolex USA accompanying the refurbished Submariner was genuine and notes that the brand would not restore a counterfeit watch.)

Eisenberg finds the family's reaction baffling. "I am in shock and utter disbelief considering all of the information that has come to light," he says.

According to one of Ehrlich's accounts, McQueen purchased the watch in either 1965 or 1966 in Hong Kong, where he was filming The Sand Pebbles. He bought two Submariners and gave one to Janes, who was doubling for the actor on the movie and was bitten by a poisonous snake during the shoot. Years later, on the set of McQueen's final film, The Hunter, Doc Duhame—a longtime friend of Janes', who is now the stunt coordinator on Ray Donovan—recalled sitting with the two men. "While we were eating," Duhame wrote in a recent letter to Erika Janes, "Steve told a story about a gag that Loren did on the movie The Sand Pebbles, and Loren mentioned that Steve had given him a Rolex after the film in gratitude of his work, at which point Steve quickly added, 'Man, you earned it on that show.'"

Giving further credence to the provenance of the watch, Ehrlich uncovered a photograph that McQueen signed for Janes: "To Loren," it reads, "Crackers and cookies and the best damn stuntman in the world—Steve." According to Janes' friends, "crackers and cookies" refers to the fact that he didn't drink, smoke or do drugs—he was a Christian Scientist—but loved eating chocolate chip cookies and crackers. The revealing part of the signature, of course, is the phrase "the best damn stuntman in the world"—the precise language on the Rolex caseback that Barens denied McQueen would ever use.

Picture this: A signed photo from McQueen to Janes echoes the language engraved on the Rolex.Courtesy of Erika Janes

"Here’s the bottom line," says Jake Ehrlich, "I believe that I’ve proven the provenance to be true." Boutros naturally concurs. "Based on all that new information," he says, "we went back to the McQueen estate, stating that we would rewrite the new provenance findings." But the family remained unconvinced by all the evidence.

One possible reason for their defiance is that Chad McQueen was given two Rolex Submariners by his father. Such provenance would clearly be exceptional at auction, but he may feel that having an engraved McQueen watch up for sale could affect the future value of his watches. (In all likelihood, the sale of the Submariner given to Janes would have only increased the value of Chad McQueen's Submariners.) Another issue could be that the McQueen family has an endorsement deal with Rolex rival Tag Heuer. Though he died in 1980, the King of Cool remains an ambassador for the brand. McQueen famously wore a Heuer Monaco in the 1971 film Le Mans, and the watch will forever be linked with him. The Monaco was just a prop, however—offscreen, McQueen wore a Rolex Submariner.

Father and son: McQueen, with his son, Chad, relaxes on the set of the 1971 movie 'Le Mans.' Though he wore a Heuer Monaco in the movie, he sports a Rolex Submariner here.(Photo by Anwar Hussein/Getty Images)

In a statement to Forbes, Phillips explained its reasons for withdrawing the watch from the auction: "Despite numerous attempts to engage in the discussions with the McQueen family, making it clear that Phillips was committed to offering the watch with the corrected provenance information, the family remains unsupportive of the sale. Phillips hoped the sale of this watch would celebrate the lives of two men, but without the support of the McQueen family, we are unable to proceed."

Boutros adds, "We still believe fully in the watch. And would have auctioned it if [the family] had supported the sale."

The Great Escapement: McQueen, on the set of 'Papillon' wearing another Submariner he owned.William Claxton/MPTV

Adding to the mystery of why the McQueen family is objecting to the auction is that they disputed a fact from the original Forbes story on the auction—that "Boys Republic, a charity McQueen cared deeply about, will receive a portion of the auction sale." Eisenberg and Phillips confirmed that he had promised to donate one-third of the proceeds to Boys Republic and one-third to Erika Janes. In a letter from Chris Burns, executive director of Boys Republic, to Barens that he provided to Forbes, Burns states, "I have been clear from the beginning that Boys Republic would not weigh in on the provenance of the watch and our involvement was always predicated on the blessing from the McQueen family."

Eisenberg is also vexed by that response. "I wasn't looking for their blessing to authenticate the watch," he says. "The charity is in no position to authenticate. I was just looking to make a donation." Eisenberg pointed out that he has donated to Boys Republic in the past and that there was a McQueen connection—he had previously sold a pickup truck that the actor once owned and donated part of the profits to the charity. Burns confirms that Eisenberg had made donations to Boys Republic and adds that "as a non-profit organization, Boys Republic is always grateful for private philanthropy and specifically for the many blessings bestowed upon us by the McQueen family."

Had the Submariner sold at auction, it would have likely brought several million dollars. In October, a Rolex Daytona belonging to Paul Newman sold at Phillips for a record $17.8 million. The auction house had high hopes that a Rolex with a connection to Newman's greatest screen rival would reach a similar stratosphere. In 2009, a Submariner belonging to McQueen sold at Antiquorum for $234,000. Phillips listed this Rolex with a modest pre-sale estimate of $300,000 to $600,000, but given the helium in the watch market right now, it could have easily sold for ten times that amount.

All of which leaves Loren Janes' daughter, Erika, devastated. "I am heartsick," she says of the news that her father's watch has been pulled from the auction. A single mother, Janes planned to use the money from the sale to help raise her son, Braylon, and devote time to a charity that she has wanted to work with, Face Forward, which provides pro bono reconstructive surgery and emotional rehabilitation to victims of domestic violence, human trafficking and other crimes.

Family time: Loren Janes with his daughter, Erika, and her son, Braylon, in 2016.Courtesy of Erika Janes

"I finally got a break," Janes recalls of her initial reaction to the auction. "I thought, I can be a full-time mom and I can give part of my time [to the charity]." And though she has tried to reach out to the McQueen family—she says she even went to Barens' law office—they have not responded to her. "I really struggle to understand, why are they so angry?"

Janes says she is still hopeful the Submariner story will have a happy ending. "I have to exhaust all the possibilities," she says. "This doesn't sit right."

Eisenberg is also keeping his options open for now. "The universe is probably saying to me, take a beat. And reconsider what this is all about. The watch is the watch—no one can take anything away from that." But he adds, "I think the sands of time have run out on this."

I am the editor of ForbesLife (né Forbes FYI), covering fashion, spirits, travel, cars, watches, and other indulgences. (Which means that I can tie a bow tie and pronounce "Laphroaig.") I have been an editor at Esquire, Vogue, and some other magazines (<...